Iconic Toronto diner marks 70 years in business this month

Toronto's Donlands Diner isn't just retro for the sake of it: it really has been around since 1955.

True legacy establishments in Toronto are few and far between at the best of times, and as development and rising costs continue to consume survivors (I'm looking at you, Imperial Pub), they're only becoming increasingly rare.

Still, there are several true old-school gems alive and well in the city if you know where to look. Marking its 70th anniversary this month, East York's Donlands Diner is one such restaurant.

Upon first glance, it may be easy to discount Donlands Diner's kitschy interiors — all checkerboard floor tiles and cherry red vinyl booths — as an inauthentic gimmick. We've all seen enough Johnny Rockets in our time to know that folks go crazy for the '50s diner aesthetic.

In the case of Donlands, though, the retro flair is an earnest homage to the diner's history, which dates all the way back to 1955, making it one of the city's oldest diners still in operation — a list that's been consistently shrinking for years.

If you're not convinced of the genuineness of Donlands Diner's commitment to honouring the days of yore, you need look no further than the gallery wall at the front of the restaurant, peppered with black-and-white images of a bygone East York, for proof.

Donlands Diner isn't one of those stalwart businesses that's stayed in the same hands for all this time, though. 

Current owner Mayuran tells blogTO that ownership of the diner has switched hands a number of times over the years, ultimately coming into his possession seven years ago.

Originally a cook at the restaurant, Mayuran tells blogTO that, upon hearing that the diner's previous owners were looking to get it off their hands, he put himself forward immediately and, in 2018, it was his.

Nowadays, despite owning and operating both the Donlands and Broadview Diners, Mayuran also works behind the pass as Donlands Diner's head chef. 

"I still work five, six days [a week,]" he tells blogTO. "In these times, that's the only way it works."

It's a taxing lifestyle, sure, but one that's worth it if it means keeping one of the city's longest-running diners — an establishment with an enthusiastic fan base that includes local media personalities, Olympians and even former Toronto Mayor John Tory — alive.

"We are lucky to have this place after so many years," Mayuran tells blogTO. 

"I have a server who has worked here for almost 20 years, and then I had a server before — she's retired now — she used to work here for almost 35 years. So those two servers know the people from when they were babies," he adds.

It's those sorts of generational connections that have kept the diner, through countless moments of uncertainty, serving all the same staples folks first tried seven decades ago. With a few updates, of course.

As November officially marks the diner's 70th year in business, Mayuran tells blogTO that he's celebrated over the past few weekends with cake for customers, but may have even more tricks up his sleeve before the year is up.

70 years is no small accomplishment, after all, especially in a city as ever-changing as Toronto, so, if you ask me, there can never be too much celebration.

If you want to write yourself into Donlands Diner's 70-year-long story, you can visit them at 417 Donlands Ave. E.